Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by David J. Eagle

At first glance, Dust to Dust seems to be a standalone episode dealing with futuristic drug trafficking. However, after watching the entire series, there are a number of pivotal moments here that need to be paid attention to.

In some remarkable ties to the current situation in the United States, Captain Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) has to deal with Night Watch trying to stifle political dissent following the revelations that President Clark was in on the assassination of President Santiago. Kind of like the Epstein Files. Amazingly, this was aired in 1996.

From Psy Corps comes Bester (Walter Koenig), who communicates to Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) and Ivanova (Claudia Christian) that he will be arriving on the station in pursuit of someone he says is a danger to Babylon 5. Garibaldi laments Bester using the same excuse to get on the station that he’s used numerous times before. In Down Below, however, a man seems to be losing his mind.

Sheridan calls a meeting of Garibaldi, Ivanova, Dr. Franklin (Richard Biggs), and Minbari Ambassador Delenn (Mira Furlan) to discuss Bester’s impending arrival. There is a fear that Bester will scan them without their knowing, even though he’s not supposed to, and learn about their machinations.

Dr. Franklin is overwhelmed in Med Bay. He has two seriously ill patients and Bester arriving. Ivanova is in C&C and nearly destroys the ship carrying Bester. Captain Sheridan stops her. Delenn has Minbari telepaths standing by to prevent Bester from initiating any unauthorized scans. They give Bester an ultimatum that either he can take a drug to suppress his psychic abilities or the Minbari telepaths will accompany them everywhere they go until he leaves. He chooses the drug.

The Centauri Ambassador’s assistant, Vir (Stephen Furst) arrives back on Babylon 5 from a sojourn to Minbar and is greeted warmly by Ambassador Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik). Delenn mediates a dispute between the Centauri and Drazi. Londo claims all they want is a buffer zone. The Drazi want the Centauri out of their space. They are at a stalemate, and Londo walks out. Vir thanks Delenn and her assistant, Lennier (Bill Mumy), for all of their help during his visit to Minbar. Vir still thinks there is hope for Londo, although Lennier believes his heart might be irreparably dark.

Bester meets again with the senior officers of the station and tells them he is looking for a Dust dealer. It’s believed that Dust can be used to unlock telepathic abilities in species that haven’t shown any telepathic abilities before. Dr. Franklin laments that he has his first patient in a long time on Dust. Bester is worried they will sell Dust to other species, and it will be used as a weapon. Meanwhile, former Narn Ambassador G’Kar (Andreas Katsulas) is meeting with someone who is apparently trying to sell him Dust just just this purpose. The man makes no promises about how the drug will affect the Narn. G’Kar decides to test it himself.

Londo reads Vir’s report and tells Vir he is naive. While they are bickering, G’Kar appears at the door and assaults Vir before turning on Londo. Meanwhile, Garibaldi and Bester are trying to flush out the Dust dealer. Garibaldi thinks he should have gone right to G’Kar, as he could imagine him buying into it. They interrupt the transaction and arrest the dealer. Meanwhile, G’Kar has also assaulted Londo. G’Kar is able to read Londo’s mind and sees his appointment as ambassador to Babylon 5. He learns that the only reason Londo was named ambassador to Babylon 5 was that no one else would take it. G’Kar also sees Londo’s interaction with Mr. Morden (Ed Wasser) and realizes that Londo is at the heart of the destruction of the Narn homeworld.

G’Kar also has a vision, first of his father, then he has a vision of G’Quan, who tells him that if they don’t turn away from the cycle of hate and death, the Narn will no longer exist. When the Dust wears off, he finds himself standing over Londo’s body. Vorlon Ambassador Kosh watches from nearby.

Vir and Londo are taken to med bay. G’Kar is put on trial and pleads guilty. Captain Sheridan speaks up for him. G’Kar is sentenced to 60 days in the station prison.

Bester departs the station and thanks Garibaldi for his help. On the way, he meets up with another Psy Cop, and they discuss the Psy Corps development of Dust and their lack of success with the drug

There is so much here that relies on past episodes and so much that will influence the future, but it’s hard to see without having watched the entire series. There is some good story building on how much Ivanova hates Psy Corps. There’s no flashback as to why she hates them so much, so it’s better understood by following the ongoing story. Bester’s presence is so hateful to her that she’s ready to throw everything away for one shot at killing him. Fortunately, Captain Sheridan arrives in time to prevent her from doing so.

The moments between G’Kar and Londo are pivotal to both characters. G’Kar uses the Dust, and its effect on him is just as believed. The Narn have never had any telepaths in their history, but the drug allows him to read minds. He sees what Londo has done. He sees the humiliation in Londo’s appointment to Babylon 5, then the offhand comment to Morden about destroying the Narn Homeworld. He now knows all of Londo’s secrets. At the same time, G’Kar now knows he can’t go on hating Londo and the Centauri, or it will destroy the Narn entirely. This is a crossroads moment for G’Kar, and he accepts his punishment. Londo, meanwhile, doesn’t learn a damn thing.

Walter Koenig is a pleasure in this series. It’s a big departure from Star Trek, where most fans know him from. As a villain, it’s a role he can sink his teeth into, and he makes the most of it. Bester has a good moment when he fakes being able to read the mind of someone they’ve brought in for questioning. Garibaldi calls him on it, afraid the drug wore off, and Bester has a good laugh. We learn that despite his denials, Dust was created by Psy Corps for possible use as a weapon, but has never been successful. Bester leaves, not knowing about what happened to G’Kar when he took it.

There are great acting moments all around. Sheridan doesn’t have much to do, but the opening sequence where he stops the suppression of public criticism of Earth Government is important. Watching this with what is currently going on, it seems unreal that this was aired almost 30 years ago. It’s timely to watch it again. Claudia Christian handles Ivanonva’s conflict over what to do about Bester very well. Ivanova has always been the stoic one, but the Psy Corps is her one weakness. If they ever scanned her, she’s afraid that they will find she also has telepathic abilities that were never developed in addition to the fact that the senior officers of Babylon 5 are part of the oppositional movement.

It’s Andreas Katsulas who gets to really shine. He’s got so much makeup on to portray G’Kar, and yet he manages to convey the conflict in him over his hatred of all things Centauri. It’s easy to understand why he would go after Londo, and his suspicions are confirmed, which is what he wanted, I think. However, he is also called by G’Quan to be a man of peace and to save the Narn. It’s a transition there’s no doubt G’Kar will make, but it’s not easy for him to accept it, especially with the Dust coursing through his body.

Dust to Dust is a solid episode that’s pivotal to the overall story, although it doesn’t seem like it at first. It also seems to be more about Psy Corps and the issues with telepaths, but that isn’t the case either. The important part of the story is G’Kar, what he learns, and how it changes him. The setup is well-executed. The first twenty minutes don’t even involve him, which is why his story comes as a bit of a surprise when he’s finally shown. It’s a great piece of storytelling in a fantastic television series.

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